Whew! What an Active Week!

You already know about the manatee rescue attempts and the hours of kayaking. Then there was the Wednesday night Tai Chi class that I barely made it through. But it didn’t stop there.

Remember a few months ago I signed up for a FoamGlow 5K event? I’d almost forgotten about it, but remembered early in the week, that it was last night! So, for Thursday and Friday, in lieu of the regularly scheduled 21DayFix routines, I walked more to keep in the fitness groove and prepare more for the 5K.

Yesterday morning, we had a three hour Tai Chi class. Not so much cardio, but lots of stretching, turning, and weight shifts. After class I grabbed my overnight bag and headed up to the mainland. I don’t like driving back through the Keys by myself too late at night, so I decided to stay over in a hotel. I’m so glad that I did because I was dog tired by the end of the night.

The FoamGlow event was fun, but not without its challenges. Since it was held at the Homestead Speedway, I assumed we would walk and run on the track. Wrong. Everything took place outside the track on a route that veered from even pavement to uneven ground or gravelly road. Whenever we left pavement, the course became sort of risky. Not only was it uneven, but there were some holes, rocks, minor bumps, etc. My friend twisted her ankle twice. I stepped in a lower indentation and jammed my knee at one point. Not fun. It would have been okay had the lighting been just a bit better, but for most of the course, we were illuminated only by the glow sticks worn by most of the participants.

The race drew thousands of people. Seriously. We got there when the registration first opened at 5 p.m. The race was late starting – close to 8 p.m. People were still arriving in the parking lot and walking up to start their walk after 9 p.m.!

Okay, challenges aside, I was determined to beat my time from the 5 K I did earlier in the year, so I needed to complete in a faster time than :58. I was running my stopwatch on my phone. When I checked about two miles in, I was at 30 minutes, so I know I was ahead of my time and going at a good pace – despite having to slow down during rocky or uneven stretches. I resolved to finish strong and kept pumping. Unfortunately, at some point not only did my phone begin randomly pocket-dialing people, but my stopwatch turned off, so I don’t have my exact time. However, I know I beat that :58 minute goal. I decided to celebrate the accomplishment, even if I don’t know the exact time. So, Booyah me!

Here’s a picture of me with my preliminary foaming as well as glow sticks and flashing eyeglasses accessories.

My friends and I went out for a late dinner after the race. Then it was back to the hotel to wash up, down some Motrin, and go to sleep. I will admit that I woke up a little stiff and sore today, but I downed another dose of Motrin and got moving.

The Miami Branch of the Taoist Tai Chi Society holds classes very close to where I was staying, in a beautiful Koi Garden/Nursery. Once you belong to the Society, you can take classes anywhere in the world, so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity and go to the two hour continuing class. Not only did it help me continue to loosen up and stretch sore muscles and joints, but the location created a wonderful, peaceful feeling. How could it not, when it was so lovely? See for yourself:

From kayaking to koi gardens, I’ve done a lot. My body is tired in that “wow-it-really-worked” kind of way. My mind is oh-so-happy that I actually have the physical ability to have accomplished all of these things. I never, ever, ever, want to take this fitness level for granted. Hence, I don’t bitch too much about a little soreness or stiffness. Instead, I celebrate and express my gratitude.